Wednesday, February 24, 2016

I can’t begin to count the number of time’s I hear the children ask
some version of “What’s on your shirt”. No, they’re not wondering what
someone (usually me) has spilled on their shirt. They want to see the
picture, logo, or any words that are printed on the fabric. If there
are words they need to know what they say. This whole conversation is repeated every time anyone comes in the room.

I decided to start documenting this activity by taking photos of all
the children’s shirts, printing them and creating a book. So far we
have forty four shirt photos like this;

The album full of shirt pictures has been extremely
popular. There have been a few minor disputes over it because there is
only ONE book but that may change soon because we’ve nearly run out of
space so we’ll need a second album. :-)

Even the youngest children can name the owner of each of the shirts
in the album. There have been some really amazing conversations here as
the children look through the book together. The conversations have continued at home too – I hear stories about
struggles to get dressed in the morning because ‘I can’t wear that
shirt, Cheryl already has a picture of it’. Some are even demanding
shopping trips to get NEW shirts to add to the album.

Monday, February 15, 2016

I both love and detest glue. I love its potential as a tool for
crafts - to adhere two or more items together. However, there is a long
list of annoying things about glue.

Sometimes it is too wet -
damaging the paper or taking too long to dry so the children get
frustrated and often give up before they successfully complete their
project. Glue is easily spilled and difficult to get it from the
container to the spot you want it to be.

Sometimes
it is too dry - clogged squeeze bottles, shriveled up glue sticks, glue
pots containing rubberized mounds of old glue. I find it nearly
impossible to have good glue available for the children to use
independently whenever they want it. At least 75% of all the glue I buy
gets wasted - thrown out without ever getting used for crafts.

Cleaning
up glue is another frustrating task. Using water just thins it out
spreading it further and further until the entire table is coated. A
dry paper towel sticks to the glue on a table more permanently than any
of the craft supplies we tried to attach. Clean-up is more time
consuming than set-up and creation combined.

In
an effort to find a solution to my issues with purchased glue I've
tried several homemade glue/paste recipes. Most have failed to provide
good results - often easy to work with but the crafts simply fall apart
after the glue dries. However, recently I tried this recipe;

Pour
3/4 cup of the water into a medium sized pot along with the corn syrup
and vinegar. Bring this mixture to a full boil, stirring often.While
you are waiting for that mixture to boil, mix the remaining cold water
and the cornstarch together. Beat well to remove all of the lumps.
Slowly stir the water and cornstarch into your boiling mixture, stirring
constantly. Bring this mixture to a boil and let it boil for 1 minute.
Remove the pot from the heat and let cool.Once cooled, put the glue in a covered container and wait at least a day before using.

The resulting jelly-like product was easy for even the youngest artists to scoop and spread;

Everyone was impressed by how easy this glue was to work with;

It is so sticky that layers upon layers of papers were quickly adhered together;

Even
when only part of the paper touched the glue gravity wasn't strong
enough to release it after it dried - and it dried quickly too;

Stored
in a covered container, the homemade glue was still sticky and
spreadable the following week but I wasn't certain how long it would
remain 'good' so I decided to use all the remainder in our sensory bin.
I gathered a bunch of other leftovers - shredded paper, sand, powdered
paint, potpourri, etc. The toddlers were curious and examined the dry 'ingredients'.

I
envisioned that once the glue was added we would be able to use the
mixture much like clay and form it into shapes. However, the children
were hesitant to touch it now.

It
was so very sticky that mounds of shredded paper was instantly stuck to
the hand of anyone who dared to touch the glue. It was an extreme
sensory activity. One by one the children began to mix the items
together in the bin - very hesitantly - mostly just trying to bury the
glue.

It
wasn't until I added a bit of water that the children became less
reluctant to participate. Even then they didn't really seem to like the
incredible stickiness. They were however fascinated by the potpourri -
picking out the bigger pieces and peeling apart the layers.

Not
what I was expecting but very interesting to watch. Still, the best
was yet to come. This glue, as sticky as it seems, cleans up in seconds.
I was so very impressed. A quick rinse under running water and it is
completely gone! No sticky hands. No messy containers. No residue on
the table. Nothing.

About Me

I opened my licensed family childcare home in 1997. Prior to that I volunteered in nursery and kindergarten classrooms for several years. I have also actively participated on many school and community committees and associations.
I am currently chairperson for the Manitoba Child Care Association’s Family Child Care Committee.
I have completed a number of courses and workshops pertaining to children and child care. I continue to take workshops regularly and attend the MCCA’s conference annually.
In December 2008 I earned my Early Childhood Educator II certification through the Manitoba Childcare Program’s Competency Based Assessment. In May of 2010 I received MCCA’s ‘Exceptional Family Child Care Provider’ Award.